Essential Question Section 1 Congressional Membership Section 2

Essential Question Section 1: Congressional Membership Section 2: The House of Representatives Section 3: The Senate Section 4: Congressional Committees Section 5: Staff and Support Agencies Chapter Summary

What is the basic structure and organization of Congress as it represents the interests of the voters?

Content Vocabulary • bicameral legislature • session • census • reapportionment • redistrict • gerrymander • at-large • censure • incumbent

Academic Vocabulary • formulate • occur • trace

Reading Strategy As you read, complete a table like the one below to help you compare the qualifications for representatives and senators.

Does gerrymandering have a positive or negative affect on the process of reapportionment? A. positive B. negative A. A B. B

Congressional Sessions • The U. S. Congress is a bicameral legislature, meaning it is made up of two houses: – the Senate, and – the House of Representatives. • Each Congressional term is two sessions, or meetings. – A session lasts one year and includes breaks for holidays and vacations.

The U. S. Congress is a bicameral legislature, meaning A. it is made up of two houses. B. its term is made up of two sessions. C. it is made up of two political parties. A. A B. B C. C

Membership of the House • The House of Representatives has 435 members. • Members of the House must be: – at least 25 years old, – citizens of the U. S. for at least 7 years, and – legal residents of the state that elects them. • Members of the House are elected for twoyear terms.

Membership of the House (cont. ) • To assign representatives on the basis of population, the Census Bureau takes a national census, or population count, every 10 years. • Each state’s population determines the number of representatives it will have for the next 10 years through the process of reapportionment. Congressional Apportionment, 2000

Membership of the House (cont. ) • Redistricting is the process of setting up new district lines within each state after reapportionment. • State legislatures have abused their power to divide the state into congressional districts by gerrymandering—drawing distinct boundaries to give one party an electoral advantage. North Carolina Congressional Districts, 2002

Each state’s number of representatives is based on A. geographical size. B. historical precedent. C. population size. D. the House Speaker’s preference. A. B. C. D. A B C D

Membership of the Senate • The Senate is composed of 100 members– two from each state. • All voters of each state elect senators atlarge, or statewide, with no particular district. • The Senate and the House set their own salaries. Swings in Control of Congress

Membership of the Senate (cont. ) • Members enjoy benefits and resources such as stationery, postage for official business, a medical clinic, and allowances to pay for staff, trips, telephones, telegrams, and newsletters. • Both the House and Senate may judge the qualifications of new members and decide whether to seat them. • Each house may punish its members for disorderly behavior by censure—a vote of formal disapproval of a member’s actions.

What constitutional requirement is needed for election to the Senate? A. must be at least 25 years of age B. must be a U. S. citizen for 7 years before the election C. must be at least 30 years of age D. must be a natural-born U. S. citizen A. B. C. D. A B C D

The Members of Congress • Congress includes 535 voting members— 100 senators and 435 representatives. • There are 4 non-voting delegates in the House— 1 each from the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands—and 1 resident commissioner from Puerto Rico. Profile of the 111 th Congress

The Members of Congress (cont. ) • In recent years, Congress has slowly begun to reflect more racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. • Membership in Congress changes slowly because incumbents—members who are already in office, often win reelection. • The Internet has joined TV and radio as an important campaigning tool. The Power of Incumbency

Why might an incumbent win reelection? A. an increase in new voters B. voter recognition C. the inability to raise campaign funds more easily D. constituents want political change A. B. C. D. A B C D

Content Vocabulary • constituent • calendar • caucus • quorum • majority leader • whip • bill

Academic Vocabulary • available • parallel • constitute

Reading Strategy Use a graphic organizer similar to the one below to help you take notes about the organization of leaders in the House.

Which is the most important power held by the Speaker of the House? A. influencing proceedings by deciding which members to recognize first B. appointing the members of committees C. scheduling bills for action D. following the vice president in the line of presidential succession A. B. C. D. A B C D

Rules for Lawmaking • The House and Senate have organized themselves in a way that will help them carry out their obligation to make the laws. • House rules are aimed at defining the actions an individual representative can take. • Committees of Congress perform most legislative activity. • Representatives tend to specialize in issues that are important to their constituents—the people in the districts they represent.

Rules for Lawmaking (cont. ) • In each house, the majority party gets to select the leaders to control the flow of legislative work and appoint the chairs of all committees.

Who gets to select the leaders of the House and Senate? A. the minority party B. the Speaker of the House C. the majority party D. the president A. B. C. D. A B C D

House Leadership • Leaders of the House coordinate the work of 435 individual members by meeting six goals: – organizing and unifying party members, – scheduling work, – making certain that lawmakers are present for key floor votes, – distributing and collecting information,

House Leadership (cont. ) – keeping the House in touch with the president, and – influencing lawmakers to support their party’s positions. • The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer and its most powerful leader. • A caucus, or closed meeting, of the majority party chooses the House Speaker at the start of each session of Congress.

House Leadership (cont. ) • The Speaker has several powers, including: – influencing proceedings by deciding which members to recognize first, – appointing the members of some committees, – scheduling bills for action and referring bills to the proper House committee, and – following the vice president in the line of succession to the presidency.

House Leadership (cont. ) • The majority leader, the Speaker’s top assistant, is responsible for: – helping plan the party’s legislative program, – steering important bills through the House, and – making sure the chairpersons of the many committees finish work on bills that are important to the party.

House Leadership (cont. ) • The majority leader is the floor leader of his or her political party in the House and is elected by the majority party. • Majority whips and deputy whips are assistant floor leaders in the House. • The majority whip’s job is to monitor how majority-party members vote on bills. • The minority party in the House elects its own leader and whip with responsibilities that parallel the duties of the majority party.

The presiding officer and most powerful leader of the House is A. the majority leader. B. the president pro tempore. C. the Speaker of the House. D. the vice president. A. B. C. D. A B C D

Lawmaking in the House • A proposed law is called a bill until both houses of Congress pass it and the president signs it. • The Speaker of the House sends bills to the appropriate committee for review. • Only 10 to 20 percent of bills ever get to the full House for a vote. • Bills that survive the committee process are put on one of the House calendars, which list bills that are up for consideration.

Lawmaking in the House (cont. ) • After a committee has considered and approved a major bill, it usually goes to the House Rules Committee. • Major bills that reach the floor of the House do so by a special order from the Rules Committee. • The Rules Committee has the power to delay or block bills that representatives and House leaders do not want to come to a vote on the floor.

Lawmaking in the House (cont. ) • A quorum is the minimum number of members needed for official legislative action. • For a regular session, a quorum requires a majority of 218 members.

The House calendar that deals with money issues is the A. Discharge Calendar. B. Consent Calendar. C. Private Calendar. D. Union Calendar. A. B. C. D. A B C D

Content Vocabulary • president pro tempore • filibuster • cloture

Academic Vocabulary • specific • assistant • devote

Reading Strategy Use a graphic organizer like the one below to list the differences in the everyday operations of the House and the Senate.

Is employing a filibuster an effective way of preventing a bill from coming to a vote? A. yes B. no C. sometimes A. A B. B C. C

The Senate at Work • The Senate deliberates, or formally discusses, public policies. • The vice president presides over the Senate but cannot vote except to break a tie. • In the absence of the vice president, the president pro tempore—elected by the Senate from the majority party—presides.

The Senate at Work (cont. ) • The Senate majority leader steers the party’s bills through the Senate and makes sure that party members attend important sessions and gets support for key bills. • The Senate minority leader critiques the majority party’s bills and keeps his or her own party united. • The Senate brings bills to the floor by unanimous consent.

The Senate at Work (cont. ) • To filibuster means to extend debate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote. • A vote for cloture limits the debate by allowing each senator only one hour for speaking on a bill. • The majority party controls the flow of bills in the Senate.

How does a vote of cloture limit debate on the Senate floor? A. It allows one senator to speak endlessly. B. It prevents Senators from the minority party from speaking. C. It allows each senator to speak for no more than one hour. A. A B. B C. C

Content Vocabulary • standing committee • subcommittee • select committee • joint committee • conference committee • seniority system

Academic Vocabulary • issue • investigation • temporary

Reading Strategy Use the graphic organizer below to take notes about the different types of congressional committees.

Which type of committee has the greatest effect on the passing of a bill? A. standing committee B. select committee C. joint committee D. conference committee A. B. C. D. A B C D

Purposes of Committees • The committee system serves three important purposes: – It allows members of Congress to divide their work among many smaller groups. – Committees select which of the bills introduced into Congress are to receive further consideration. – By holding public hearings and investigations, committees help the public learn about key problems facing the nation.

How does dividing work into congressional committees help members of Congress? A. allows members to become specialists on topics B. lets members ignore the beliefs of constituents in favor of special-interest groups C. committee members have less responsibilities A. A B. B C. C

Kinds of Committees • Congress has four kinds of committees: – Standing committees are permanent groups that oversee bills that deal with certain kinds of issues. • Subcommittees specialize in a subcategory of its standing committee’s responsibilities. Standing Committees of Congress

Kinds of Committees (cont. ) – Select committees are temporary committees that study one specific issue and report their findings to the Senate or the House. – Joint committees are committees that are made up of members from both the House and the Senate. – Conference committees are temporary committees that are set up when the House and Senate have passed different versions of a bill.

Which type of committee studies one specific issue and reports findings to the Senate or the House? A. standing committee B. joint committee C. subcommittee D. select committee A. B. C. D. A B C D

Choosing Committee Members • In the House and Senate the parties must assign members to the standing committees. • Each member can serve on only limited number of standing committees and subcommittees. • The chairpersons of the standing committees make key decisions about the work of committees and manage floor debates that take place on bills that come from their committees.

Choosing Committee Members (cont. ) • The seniority system is the unwritten rule that implies that the majority party member with the longest uninterrupted service on a committee is the appointed leader of the committee.

The “seniority system” is based on A. age. B. uninterrupted service to a committee. C. longest during of service in Congress. D. qualification. A. B. C. D. A B C D

Content Vocabulary • personal staff • committee staff • administrative assistant • legislative assistant • caseworker

Academic Vocabulary • complex • expert • coordinate

Reading Strategy As you read, create a table like the one below to describe the functions of congressional support staff.

What is the most significant responsibility of committee staffers? A. drafting bills B. studying and collecting information on specific issues C. preparing committee reports A. A B. B C. C

Congressional Staff Role • Lawmakers rely on congressional staffers to help them: – handle the growing workload of Congress, – communicate with voters, – run committee hearings and floor sessions, – draft new bills, – write committee reports, and – attend committee meetings.

Congressional staffers help lawmakers A. draft bills. B. plan committee hearings. C. prepare committee reports. D. A, B, and C A. B. C. D. A B C D

Congressional Staff Growth • Congressional staffs grew as lawmaking became more complex after the early 1900 s. • Members of Congress needed a large office staff to deal with the many letters from people in their states or congressional districts.

What is the primary reason for the growth of congressional staffs? A. growing complexity of lawmaking B. increase in population C. gradual simplification of lawmaking processes D. congressional preference A. B. C. D. A B C D

Personal Staff • Personal staff members work directly for individual senators and representatives. • Committee staff members work for the many House and Senate committees.

Personal Staff (cont. ) • There are three types of personal staff members: – The administrative assistant runs the lawmaker’s office, supervises the lawmaker’s schedule, and gives advice on political matters. – The legislative assistants make certain that the lawmaker is well informed about the many bills with which she or he must deal.

Personal Staff (cont. ) – Caseworkers handle the many requests for help from a member’s constituents.

Which type of personal staff member is responsible for keeping lawmakers informed on relevant bills? A. administrative assistant B. legislative assistant C. caseworker A. A B. B C. C

Committee Staff • The committee chairperson and the senior minority party member of a committee are in charge of committee staff members. • Duties of committee staffers include: – drafting bills, – studying issues, – planning committee hearings, and – writing memos and reports.

Who is in charge of committee staff members? A. the committee chairperson B. the senior majority party member C. the legislative assistant D. the caseworker A. B. C. D. A B C D

Support Agencies • Congress created several important support agencies, including: – The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, containing more than 100 million books, journals, music pieces, films, photographs, and maps. – The Congressional Budget Office coordinates the budget work of Congress, studies budget proposals put forward by the president, and projects the costs of proposed programs.

Support Agencies (cont. ) – The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviews the financial management of government programs that Congress creates, collects government debts, settles claims, and provides legal service. – The Government Printing Office (GPO) does the printing for the entire federal government, including the daily Congressional Record and the annual Statistical Abstract of the United States.

To which support agency does a comptroller general belong that oversees congressional appropriations? A. the Government Printing Office B. the Library of Congress C. the Congressional Budget Office D. the Government Accountability Office A. B. C. D. A B C D

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